


A Place to Call Home

by Highsoarer



Category: Pentatonix
Genre: Earth Elemental, Elemental AU, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 18:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11042295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highsoarer/pseuds/Highsoarer
Summary: He felt at home here as if he belonged here, more than anywhere else.





	A Place to Call Home

Trees swayed from side to side, their green leaves bristling from the wind. Birds chirped in the background, perching along the tree branches, feeding their young. It was peaceful, he could breathe here, relax himself. Although music is his medicine, nature was his first and true medicine. He felt at home here as if he belonged here than anywhere else. The rapid beating of his heart stilled and now beat more slowly. His breaths weren’t as rapid as before, and he felt calm in the mind. It felt like he had just arrived in the forests, surely, they couldn’t work their magic that fast, right? Alas, it did. He is an earth elemental after all, he expected no less. Being around trees of any kind calmed him immediately. Especially, Sequoia trees, those are his absolute favorite.

He remembers the first time seeing a sequoia tree, he always thought of it as a beanstalk; a very brown beanstalk with leaves. Long time ago, his family used to live by the Sequoia national park, so each chance he got, he roamed around. Before he knew of his power, he called them his friends. Today, they are still his friends; his best friends, his third **_family_**. With his tight schedule with Pentatonix, he never had enough time to visit his **_family_** as much as he wanted to. During those times he felt so lonely, so lost without them. Getting through the day proved to be a challenge, but he never gave up, because of his fans he kept going.

Black gloved hands ran along the trunk of a tree, fingers tracing over the grooves in the bark, followed by a little pat. There he stood, gazing at the tree, eyes roaming from the trunk up to the leaves above, watching them bristle back and forth. From his touch, the tree looked livelier, brighter than it was before he gave it his love. Continuing to gaze along the leaves, the corners of his lips slowly curled upwards. Index finger twitched under the gloved hand that sat against his thigh, with that twitch came the fall of a leaf. Slowly, it drifted downwards laying itself in the palm of his hand. Dull emerald eyes now set upon the bright green leaf, concentrating on keeping it still in his hand. Nature is such a beautiful thing and it should be appreciated much more than it is today. Perhaps that’s why he was gifted with his power, so he could appreciate the earth. . . Powerless or not, he would still appreciate the earth around him.

Giving one last final pat to the trunk of the tree, he began to stroll forward, feet crunching on the grass below. He still had the leaf in his hand, not sure whether to keep it, or to let it go. Although he was already calm, just looking at the mere leaf calmed him more. Soon, his mind was made up. Hand moved up to his pulled back hair, sticking the stem of the leaf in his dark brown locks. Onwards he continued with his stroll, soon reaching the creek. Beside the waters sat a moss-covered rock. Thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to sit down, he closed the distance between the rock, sitting himself on it. Eyes gazed upon the waters, ears picking up the waves hitting against the rock. Eyes now fluttered closed, taking in a deep breath, breathing in the smells of the water and the trees around him.

How much more time does he have? How much longer until he had to go back? Back to the others. . . back to _work_. He felt so. . . _trapped_. . . He loved doing what he does, he loves bringing music to others, but he couldn’t move that **_fast_** any longer. . . Pulling his phone from his pocket, he glances over text messages from Kevin saying that they need him, inquiring him about his current location or if he was all right. Yes, he was all right, that is until he gets back to the studio to pile on more stress than he has now. _Calm, Avi, Calm,_ He thought to himself, fingers curling into his palm.

With him now off his rock, he began to head his way through the trees. This time, he noticed, the leaves were still, everything was still. No birds were chirping, the area around him was silent minus the breeze whistling in his ears. Just a moment ago these trees were alive, they were dancing! What caused them to stop? Was it him? Was it his stress showing itself through his powers again?  Yes, this was the part he couldn’t control. Nature always mirrored his emotions. When he’s stressed, everything is still; when he’s happy, everything is alive and well; but when he’s sad, the leaves droop as if they were wilting flowers. If only he could control his powers well enough so nature wouldn’t feel what he felt. . . Nature should be alive. . . not. . . stationary.

A vibration was felt in his phone followed by a ringtone. With his phone now in hand, he glanced at the caller ID. His mother. He swallowed, pressing the green button, moving the phone up to his ears. His mother sounded so happy on the other end of the line, asking him how he was. He told her he was fine, which was very much a lie. The one thing he hates the most is lying to his mother. As he spoken those words, her end grew silent, as if she knew **exactly** how he felt with the trembling of his voice. He missed his mother so much. He missed his father so much. He misses his whole family, but because of his very busy schedule he can’t give them surprise visits anymore. He told her how well his _vacation_ was going, how he met another singer, how he performed at a private event. With each word that left his mouth, he could feel himself breaking. Tears began pricked at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall, causing him to look up to the sky, eyes blinking rapidly. He had to clear his throat multiple times so his mother wouldn’t hear his breaking voice. He knew what he had to do after this phone call. . . He finally decided after all this time. . . It was a very difficult decision for him to make, but. . . it was for the best.

With his phone now safely within his pocket, he began his trek. Hands were stuffed deep in his pockets, head lowered down, watching every step he took. His mind wondered to how the others would take his news. Would they take it lightly, or would they be like him; heartbroken, but understanding? With each step, the greenery around him slowly drooped over, mirroring exactly how he felt at that moment. It will be okay soon. . . At the end of all of this, he remembers the lives he touched because of his music, the people he helped and saved. There’s no reason for him to be sad about it, he should be happy. But. . . **six** years he spent with those people. . . It wouldn’t be the same without him, but he knew they were destined for great things. He will still make music, there’s no doubt about that, but this time. . . he can take however long he wants, he can visit all his family and friends, he can be at peace! When his foot hit the last bit of grass, a flower beside him rose, red petals opening to the world, the colors bright and lively swaying in tune with the breeze. This wasn’t the **end** , it was only the _beginning_.

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this after the news of Avi leaving Pentatonix, I thought it would help me get through it. I shared this with some of my friends and they told me to post it. I hope you all enjoy it like they did! 
> 
> Also, there may or may not be another elemental story coming up inspired by Avi's new song: Quarter Past Four. It's in the works, but I'm not sure if it will be postable or not. We'll just have to see.


End file.
